Okay, all of us here are genuine fans of bad movies. (I don't think anybody else would have the patience, let alone gumption, to make it to the message board part of this site if they weren't.) But there is a difference between enjoying a bad movie in a MST3K sense, and enjoying a bad movie simply from the fact that you loved it more than your unborn children.

For me, the movie that personifies this approach to watching movies is GREMLINS 2. I know the film is mainstream, but most people I talk to wonder why I love this movie so much. But, for me, it describes so well what I love about movies. Not so much the ridiculousness, or the nonstop gags, but a sense of complete chaos so well implemented. I'll watch any movie if they bring that sense of "pandemonium", and GREMLINS 2 supplied it in spades. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and DEAD ALIVE supply this in spades.

So what I'm wondering is what movies that are generally viewed by the public as "b-movies" that you genuinely love. Movies that even on your deathbed you would insist were great. Don't follow my examples, I want to hear what you personally thought.

I know a lot of folks who adore Gremlins 2 ... myself included. Saw it twice in a row on opening night. I've never done that with any other movie.

But I know what you mean. I've had a 17-year-long love affair with the Monkees' movie HEAD. I watch it bi-annually. I never get tired of it and I always see some new reference or pun I didn't quite catch before. Without a doubt, I think it's the best rock movie ever made (OK, with the possible exception of Spinal Tap). Written by the one and only Jack Nicholson (during his The Trip days) and Easy Rider's Bob Rafelson, it's probably the one product born of The Monkees' assault on pop culture that will survive the next century. It has Frank Zappa, Annette Funicello, Sonny Liston, Tony Basil (she was a teenybopper), a very young Terri Garr ... and Victor Mature!! It even features a quick cut of Ronald Reagan!

This doesn't even begin to describe the scenes with mermaids, talking cows, cross-dressers, cripples, belly dancers, tribes of head-hunters, dancing cops ... I could go on and on.

It's just such a great, trippy movie about movies and all the bullcrap associated with the industry. It's very "60's," but it's extremely dark. Plus, you get to watch Davy Jones commit suicide.

"Leisure: the inevitable byproduct of our civilization. A new world whose only preoccupation will be how to amuse itself. Tragedy of your times, my young friends is that you may get exactly what you want!" -- a mad scientist in Head.

You make a good point. When MST did Gorgo, i agreed with L. Maltin, and i like it in either version. My only real complaint is the cold heartedness of the kid, and the mouthy reporter at the end who WILL NOT SHUT UP! If they do a remake, and i would not mind seeing this one remade, ...Step on the reporter! It'd be cool if Gorgo took place in the Toho Universe. Then maby Godzilla could get a little action!(if ya know what i mean,and i think you do.) Them, The thing (50's version), 20 million miles to earth, i like them as they are. Some movies i realy prefer the MST version, G vs Megalon...sing along with me..."He dicky made of steel, eat sushi from a pail"... Its a personal thing. MST made lemonade out of lemons. It has its place. All i can say is,hey,what ever grooves ya,dude. May your VCR never die.

If there is any one "guilty pleasure" of mine it must be Radioactive Dreams. Over the years I've exposed numerous friends to that one and they all wonder about my sanity.

A movie with a cult following that still eludes me (as being entertainment) is Liquid Sky. A friend gave me the DVD as a gift, so I decided to try watching it again. No good, I still do not like the film.

I saw Liquid Sky about a hundred times during high school. I had a friend who adored that movie. Watched it under the influence of several lightweight substances ... it never improved. Watched it again last year to see if maybe, as a youngin', I'd missed something. Nope. It still sucks.

HEAD, on the other hand, is trippy without the need of substance abuse. That's the mark of genius

Okay, I'll stand proud and tall and hail William Lustig's movie Maniac as a work of genius, then I will quickly duck all the hate and tomatoes hurled at me, but I love that movie! When I saw it for the first time on video I watched it three times in a row. My wife wanted to know what movies really upset me and I showed her this and, several years later, she still talks about how disturbing the movie "about the weirdo who took women's hair and nailed them to dummies" was. Now that is genius in my book, the movie sticks with you years after seeing it.

Day of the Dead is the best dead movie that Romero made for me. I loved Bub. The part where he grabs Dr. Logan's hand and then let's him go still makes my heart lurch. A zombie with a soul.

The Brood and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are the others that round out my top Work of Genius list.

I won't take the lame-o way out of this and list Ed Wood movies. Those are far too obvious.

"Space Zombie Bingo" was very funny, but the problem with it was that, like most Troma movies, it was trying to be bad in such a manner that it would make fun of itself.

"Killer Klowns from Outer Space" is great. The title is a classic, and the overall silliness of the basic plot outline and dialogue of it clashes beautifuly with its attempts to be a serious horror movie at the same time.

Finally, "Killer Nerd," probably the only film ever made by Riot Pictures, is just a love of mine that cannot be explained.Mofo Rising wrote:

See, I screwed up. I thought you were asking for brilliant flicks that the world deems "B-movies" while I'd attest that it's truly wonderful. "Head" is a flick the world rejects, yet I think it should have won an acedemy award.

Obviously, this flick inspired the Girdler website. An 'Abby' poster hangs on the wall at the foot of my bed, so she's the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning. My computer is nearby, so all I need do is look up, and there she is. She keeps me going.

And because I don't feel like ressurecting the old thread, I'd like to announce that I dug deeper into the AIP catalog mystery this weekend, and it turns out that Abby was curiously NOT included in Orion's AIP catalog, and MGM holds no rights to it. Which only intensifies the mystery.

Also, WG.com is a current Yahoo Pick Of The Week. One small step for man, one giant leap toward Girdler domination.

AIEEE!! ANother HEAD fan!! Yes to everything you say, plus BIG VICTOR (Victor Mature, who had a huge sense of self-depricating humour, based on those who knew him)!! This is a great stupid movie. Showed it to my wife when we were engaged. We've been married 13 years. Many people loathe this film. It's a great litmus test film to see if you're with ONE OF US!!

I love Liquid Sky. The pretentious dialogue,crazed visuals, and horrible electronic musicspeak to my sensibilities like no other. WhenI first saw it, I said "this is the worst movieever made!". I proceeded to watch it another 3times that year.